On the 5th day of sharing my posts through my personal blogsite, I am continuing to share a portion of the book that I am reading, as I promised I would in my last blogpost. Yesterday I shared how the "practice method in Buddhism known as contemplating with loving-kindness and compassion" works, and today I am sharing an example from the book of how it can be applied.
In the book Peace is Every Breath, author Thich Nhat Hanh gives the following example, and explains that it can be applied to anyone with whom we have had a difficulty; however, he uses the example of a father because "the suffering gets passed down from one generation to the next...perhaps from a very young age the father was subjected to cruel mistreatment by his own father, the grandfather. The grandfather poured out all his anger and suffering on this father; and now the father is doing as the grandfather did....the father doesn't see the second Noble Truth, the source of his suffering. Now is the time for his son to practice: Breathing in, I see myself as a five-year-old child. Breathing out, I smile to the five-year-old child still alive and present in me. Breathing in, I see the five-year-old child in me is fragile, vulnerable, wounded. Breathing out, I embrace the five-year-old child in me with all my understanding and love." Hahn goes on to explain a very important part of the equation that we may be missing, "the father doesn't see that he's causing suffering to his son, and to himself as well. He really believes that the way he's treating his son is for the best. In reality, it is not so." For this reason, Hanh suggests that we "take the practice one step further: Breathing in, I see my father as a five-year-old child. Breathing out, I smile to my father, five years old. Breathing in, I see my father, five years old, fragile, vulnerable, wounded. Breathing out, I look at this wounded child with all my understanding and love." Miracle Morning on Weebly - Day Five Life S.A.V.E.R.S Program S is for Silence (Time spent in silent reflection) A is for Affirmations 1) I am loved. I am created anew by the breath of the Holy Spirit, and I am loved. 2) I am unique. There is only one individual like me in the world, and it is my job to be more like me than anybody else. 3) I am chosen. I am gifted with talents to follow one purpose, and I am chosen. 4) I am cherished. I am loved by the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit, and I am cherished. 5) I am called. I am being sent to heal those in need of healing, and I am called. 6) I am forgiven. I am loved by a God who died on the cross to save us all from sin, and I am forgiven. 7) I am created. I am a child of the One True King, who makes all things beautiful in His name, and I am created. V is for Visualizations I visualize a love that is larger than life. I see this love enveloping us all, wrapping us all in its blanket, caring for us all in its warm embrace. I visualize everyone that we need to be there in that moment. I visualize anyone with whom we have had a falling out, as this is a time for reconciling. I visualize all whom we love the most and hold near and dear to our hearts. I see all with whom we seek just one more moment. I visualize all of us coming together in a spirit of loving-kindness and compassion. In this love, there are only positive emotions of peace, love, and understanding. The only thing we can feel is the joy of the One who has called us here, and we know that we are reborn in his infinite love and mercy. E is for Exercise (Self guided yoga) R is for Reading (Peace is Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hahn) S is for Scribing (My affirmations and visualizations) How do I feel? I feel embraced.
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AuthorValerie Ellis, with inspiration by Matthew Kelly, Author of Rediscovering Catholicism Archives
August 2021
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